Snow Queen of Justice
CHP7: Training
The Flash returned to Central City by way of the JLA teleportation system, but he wasn't alone. Batman was at his side, and together they gained entrance into a morgue using a back door. A single individual wearing a long white lab jacket led them to where the bodies were held. The bodies of interest were situated over two separate steel tables and inside cadaver pouches. The Flash stepped forward unzipping the first of the two pouches.
"Their names?" Batman questioned.
"Rel Tonzo and Caden Hernse. Rel was a Houston native and Caden from Detroit, they were in town on business, but nothing in their records suggests illegal or suspicious activity. It doesn't appear they knew each other on a personal level, and met just days ago." Flash informed.
The worker coughed getting the attention of both masked heroes.
"I've got paper work to fill out in the office. I figure you don't need me anymore, just holler if you need anything." The worker took off through the automatic doors.
Batman took the next couple seconds inspecting the body whilst Flash unzipped the cadaver pouch on the opposite table. The first thing he noticed was all the cuts and slashes over the body. Not only that but picked up on the burnt skin around the wounds, as if was exposed to flames. He went on taking a look at the body on the opposite table and was very much similar to the first. There were a dozens of cuts over the body and burn marks, and appeared the fatal blow was dealt.
"What led you to Gotham?" Batman questioned.
The flash uncovered a small device and handed it directly to Batman.
"There was no hat, but I looked this mechanism over in depth and it clearly belongs to one of your playmates."
The cape crusader examined the item and confirmed the tech in a matter of seconds.
"This tool is identical to Jervis Tetch's mind control devices, but last I checked he was safely locked away in Arkham." Batman stepped off to the side and away from the table.
He pressed down on the hidden panel with on his hidden panel and hacked into the asylum's system. Little by little he skimmed over the holographic information before standing upright and shutting it down completely. He stood in silence with his back to the Flash, as the speedster scratched at the side of his own mask.
"Everything alright?" Flash asked.
"Mad Hatter escaped Arkham late last night. Authorities kept the public in the dark, but these killings here aren't his IMO."
"You think he's got an accomplice?" Flash asked.
"It isn't Hatter's way of operating, but it's possible he's grouped with another outlaw. I'll look into things further when I return to Gotham." Batman informed.
"What about these guys? Their wounds don't ring any bells...like maybe a Gotham Meta? This is a first I've seen anything like this."
Batman uncovered a small blade from inside his belt and cut away a small piece of flesh. The Flash raised an eyebrow beneath his mask questioning what the dark knight had in mind. Batman dropped the sample into a small plastic bag and then into his utility belt. He then took snap shots of the bodies through his cowl's lenses.
"What was that for?" Flash questioned.
"To make comparisons."
"Comparisons?"
The speedster displayed a blank expression and oblivious to what the cape crusader meant.
"It's not your concern, and we've spent enough time here. Gotham needs my attention and I must look into this whole Mad Hatter mess. If you find anything further or need to talk," Batman headed toward and pushed open the back exit, "You know where to find me."
"Yeah...sure thing." The Flash watched the door close shut.
He exhaled and turned back around facing the two bodies. Barry hoped seeking out Batman would further push the investigation along, but he was virtually in the same position as before setting out to Gotham. In minutes the bat plane arrived atop the rooftops via remote control. Batman leaped into the cockpit and took off into the night sky.
"Alfred do you read me?" Batman activated the built in communications system.
"Loud and clear sir, is everything alright?"
"I'm in route to the Gotham Morgue and look to nab a sample of flesh from Leo Zyuta."
"Are you referring to the gentleman killed the other night from third degree burns?"
"Correct. I came across something tonight, two deceased individuals; both murdered. Their deaths were unlike Leo's, but it's worth giving a look. Something about the wounds was all too familiar, but not visibly." Batman said.
"How do you mean?"
"We'll see."
Batman terminated the conversation in the click of a button.
XXX
Two women faced off against each other, while one breathed heavily the other stood in place unfazed. She was of medium height, with long blond hair and wore a black corset with fishnet stockings and black boots. The black jacket and gloves topped off the remainder of her attire. The woman across from her was situated on a knee still catching her breath. Her blond hair was tied in a ponytail, and she wore purple spandex pants, a blue t-shirt and black shoes. She slowly pushed up and ignored her fatigue.
She dropped back into her fighting stance staring down the woman across from her and clinched her fists. She took off with determination throwing out one punch after another but was dodged.
"Your movements are too slow, and you hesitate. Our enemies will not share your indecisiveness!" The woman opposite of her implied.
The words fueled the woman and picked up the pace but just as before she was unable to land a single hit. Her strikes were dodged and or blocked and the opponent opposite of her countered by kicking at her butt and watching her fall down to the mat.
"Relying strictly on adrenaline and emotions will get you know where if your movement and technique are lacking. Try and relax Elsa, you're thinking too much." The woman standing spoke.
Elsa slowly pushed off the mat facing her opponent once more. She took a deep breath lowering her shoulders and taking off once more. Unlike her previous attempts the queen moved in with caution against the more experienced fighter. She threw out a combination of kicks and punches all of which were blocked and was kneed in the stomach by her opponent. Elsa slouched over gasping for air and the opposition took advantage. She grabbed at Elsa's hair and forced her off her feet slamming her down over the mat.
"Enough!"
Both looked to the automatic doors as Superman entered. Elsa grabbed at her now sore right shoulder. The woman standing over her extended an arm and helped Elsa to her feet.
"You over did it, don't you think?" Superman's gaze fell over Black Canary.
"If she is to be a valuable member on the frontlines she must be pushed, Batman and Diana would agree. Babying Elsa won't help her progression, and as it stands she is far from combat ready." Black Canary shot back.
Superman glared crossing his arms.
"There's nothing wrong with taking it one step at a time, we have no reason to rush or push the envelope."
"If we're seriously considering adding her to the team and putting her out in the open, than the training must be intense just as it is for the rest of us." Canary said.
"I beg to differ." Superman retorted.
"Hey guys," Elsa waved getting the attention of them both, "Please don't argue, and I'm ok with this. You don't have to worry about me Kal, I...I want to help."
Black Canary gazed at the man of steel displaying a smug expression. Superman ignored the look and instead looked to Elsa.
"Whatever works for you is what we'll do." Superman dropped a hand over her shoulder.
The queen grinned.
"Will any of these sessions include using my abilities?" Elsa questioned.
"Yes of course," Black Canary nodded, "It's just there are certain times in given situations your ice powers shouldn't be revealed. In those cases you'll need to be able to defend others and protect yourself using hand to hand combat."
"Got it." The queen said.
"Rest up a little bit and then head over to the simulation room where your next task will await you." Black Canary informed.
Canary was the only one to exit through the automatic doors leaving the two behind.
"If at any point you feel it's all too much, don't be afraid to say so. It's never too late to opt out, remember to keep that in mind."
Elsa nodded as Superman took off through the automatic doors. Elsewhere a woman wearing a black and gold suit with long light blue hair, standing at 5'8" and gold eyes entered into a large space. She was visibly agitated a marched forward pushing open the large doors and entering the throne room. She lightly bit at her lower and marched forward with clinched fists.
"Someone doesn't look happy." A woman sitting in a throne chair across the room said, "Where are your underlings?"
"We went for a little tour as you know, and decided to have a little fun. I love things of value, so we dropped by a museum in that Gotham city you told us about. The Batman you informed us of showed, which was to be expected but so did another of his allies. The speedster in red armor made an appearance."
"Red armor you say," The woman sitting in the throne chair scratched at her chin, "The Flash in Gotham city...now that's interesting."
She went silent for various moments thinking things over.
"It's doubtful they have any idea what we've got planned, so we shouldn't worry. You said your pupils were captured, and if that's the case they're likely being held in a Gotham prison. We'll break them out in time. Rest up Electriya, it is best from here on out we don't bring attention to ourselves."
"As you wish, Mistress Circe." Electriya bowed.
She took off through the main doors but wasn't long before she bumped into another recruit in the hall. He wore dark shades, and had orange hair in the form of a mohawk with streaks of red, blue jeans, with a chain hanging down from the left side, and black leather jacket with white tank top underneath it. There was a dragon tattoo visible on the left side of his neck and wore black sneakers and stood at 5'10.
"Damn girl, you've got the goods," He lowered the shades off his nose looking her over, "I think I'm gonna like it here. Working with hotties like Frost and yourself is gonna make this experience all the more worth it!"
"And you're?" Electriya frowned.
"Dragnor at your service."
He took her left hand into his own and kissed at her wrist. She pulled away from him and rolled her eyes.
"You can forget that, I'm not interested in relationships."
She took off down the hall leaving him to his thoughts.
"Gee, I've gotten off on a bad start with the ladies. Should be interesting to see how things play out down the line. This is gonna be fun." He grinned rubbing his hands together.
XXX
Cyborg leaned forward gazing out of a glass window and inspected the activity below. She ACE'd the first three levels with little difficulty so he decided to ramp up things. Beside him sat Green Lantern who observed the scene below with crossed arms. The queen was determined to rein victorious as she had done in the earlier stages. Elsa prepared herself as steel platforms rose from the ground beneath her feet. She looked back and forth between them and was caught off guard as laser blasts shot out from them and her right shoulder was grazed in the process.
She ignored the minor injury and froze the couple platforms that were in plain view, but took another shot to her backside. Elsa dropped to a knee and rolled over as another couple blasts zipped through the air. She located the remainder of the platforms and froze them solid before standing upright once more. She looked upward as sections of the ceiling opened and additional devices emerged.
Just as before lasers were fired off at her and ran around freezing each one after another. A single blast made contact with her left knee and drew blood. Elsa fell off balance and dropped to the ground as a result. She positioned her hands out in front of her and froze three of the twelve devices. Things didn't get any easier as an additional five platforms rose from the ground but were much larger in size to the previous ones. She couldn't believe her eyes as eight foot robots emerged from them and advanced toward her.
Elsa immediately pushed up off the ground and reestablished herself. The situation was much more difficult than anything she'd faced in the previous rounds. Smaller platforms emerged from the ground and too Elsa's horror more of the laser mechanisms returned. She ran around dodging the laser blasts from up top, down below while at the same time planning how she'd deal with the robots.
She took another couple shots to the body as she took off toward the robot closes to her. Without trying she knew physical attacks would be no use against them and would have to rely on her ice abilities. She positioned her hands out in front of her and aimed at a single robot but was knocked down from behind. She rolled over a couple times before coming to an eventual stop ten yards away. Elsa glimpsed upward spotting another of the robots and was undoubtedly responsible for the sneak attack.
"She's finished, there's no way she'll luck her way out of this one. You shouldn't have jumped so many levels, I mean she's barely a rookie after all." Green Lantern implied.
"Perhaps," Cyborg never took his eyes off the queen, "But let's wait and see."
Elsa jumped up just as three lasers made contact with the ground. She turned and faced the robots and as she did her left cheek was grazed by a laser blast and drew blood. She took another couple shots to the torso but stood her ground and didn't go down. The steel robots were up on her faster than she anticipated and one lifted her off the ground by the hair. With a single strike to the stomach the breath was knocked out of her and the machine threw her clear across the room.
A barrage of lasers followed raining down atop her and Elsa used her arms to shield herself. The entrance door inside the observation room shot open and entering was Wonder Woman. She quickly took notice of the training session below and bit at her lower lip.
"Hera! End the session! She be can't handle any more." Wonder Woman directed at Cyborg.
Cyborg was hesitant and continued watching.
"What're you waiting for?!" Diana snapped.
More and more lasers fired down over Elsa and portions of her clothing was ripped away from her body. Just as Cyborg reached out to press at a button, he froze at the screams of Elsa! She stood to her feet and with her arms raised over her head an icy aura took shape around her body. Right before their eyes the three Justice League members witnessed the entire room put on ice including the machines. Elsa breathed heavily and her breath visible due to the decreased temperature.
"I'd say that's a win." Cyborg grinned.
Green Lantern bit down at his tongue leaning forward.
Cyborg pressed at a button.
"Good job Elsa, you've done well. Now go get cleaned up and rest for the remainder of the night. Your training will resume tomorrow morning." Cyborg's voice spoke to her through an intercom.
Elsa breathed a sigh of relief as the entrance door across the room shot open shattering the ice. She managed to get passed the round but she didn't feel a sense of victory. There was a lot she had to learn mastering her abilities in the form of combat. On her way out of the facility she rid the space of the frosty atmosphere. Wonder Woman exited the observation room and met with Elsa down below in the hall.
"Impressive showing, I didn't think you'd make it through. The more time you put into your training, the easier it'll get." Wonder Woman placed a hand over her shoulder.
"I hope you're right." Elsa replied.
"Of course I am, you'll see." Diana grinned.
XXX
It had been a calm quiet night for most, but couldn't be said for passengers aboard a Gotham City train. Only thirty minutes into the ride the criminals sprung their attack. Each was armed with automatics and additional weapons. All passengers were relocated to the back of the train occupying the three last carts. One gunman stood in each of the three carts watching over and making certain the passengers didn't try escaping. There was no way any of them could make a run for it given the train's speed.
There had only been four casualties, one the train operator. All passengers were forced to give up valuable belongings such as jeweler and other items of high value. There was eight extra carts aside from the three, an additional six gunmen occupying them. To that point none of the hostages had a clue what the masked men wanted. They kept quiet fearful for their lives hoping whatever the criminals were planning would soon end. Little did anyone know someone eyed the train from afar. The dark figure glided from atop one of the larger buildings in a city.
The train sped away from the figure but he made a split second decision used a grapple gun piercing the moving vehicle and pulling atop it. There was a huge thump as a result, right at the 5th cart from the front. The gunmen below heard the noise giving each other a familiar look.
"Wait here, I'll check it out. If we do have company, they'll quickly realize they crashed the wrong party." One whispered.
He exited through the automatic doors that led to the next cart, but instead of entering took to the roof. He didn't have much time to look or even react as he was pulled up and knocked out in one strike. The other gunman waited for a little over a minute. He knew something wasn't right when his colleague didn't return or say a thing. He readied himself taking a deep breath and prepared for a confrontation.
Immediately as he stepped through the automatic doors he was pulled atop the train! The only thing he saw before blacking out was the glowing white eyes and pointy ears of his attacker. With both bodies in hand, the dark figure dropped down and entered the empty cart. To his luck there was a nearby closet and empty. With more than enough room placed both unconscious individuals into the space knowing he needed to work fast. Before rescuing the hostages he wanted to first deal with the other gunmen throughout the train.
He exited the automatic doors knowing he'd be able to take down what remained of the gunmen much quicker from the roof. The detect mode inside his lenses not only gave him a perfect view of body heat but also confirmed which individuals carried weapons. One after another he carefully and quietly took down each gunman occupying the upper carts. All that remained was one that took over the controls and those keeping watch over the hostages.
The lone hero knew exactly how to turn things in his favor. Slowly making his way across the roof, he was careful not to fall. With the amount of racket the train gave off, he didn't worry about anyone hearing. With precision and strength the cape crusader smashed through the side of a window entering the cockpit. The one at the controls tried reaching for his weapon but Batman twisted his wrist, losing hold of the handgun.
"You're, you're Batm..."
A fist to the face knocked him out cold before he could finish. The Dark Knight took hold of the controls stopping the train completely.
"What the hell is going on!? Why have we stopped? What the heck's goin on up there?!" One of the gunmen yelled positioned in a cart surrounded by hostages.
"Don't know, but we better as hell check it out! You stay here, I'll go and see whatsup myself. Those screw heads are always messing up things."
The individual left on his own and was shocked as he stepped through the doors leading to the next cart.
Two of their colleagues stationed in the area were nowhere in sight! About halfway through blacked out with the same dark figure standing over his body. When his ally didn't hear back from him in a couple minutes her alerted the remainder of their group. Knowing they might have a problem. They locked down the carts containing the hostages and aimed to check on things themselves.
Together they walked through and as they entered the cart just before the control area, something exploded on the ground beneath their feet creating a foggy atmosphere. Each coughed trying to catch their breath and that's when it happened. They were unable to get a clear view of the attacker as he moved in from what seemed like out of nowhere. They were disarmed of their weapons, only one of them managing to get two shots off. As their accomplices before them they were taken down with minimal effort.
Emerging from the cloudy atmosphere the masked hero passed through the automatic doors in route to where the hostages were held. Something however didn't add up, and that something was what led him to the location in the first place. A certain individual in particular should have been on board leading the charge. According to intel he was a previous leader to a small time gang. The final carts were sealed shut containing the hostages and used a gadget from inside his belt blasting it open. A majority of the individuals inside the space curled against the walls, frightful of his appearance.
"It's ok...you're safe now."
Even with that not a single of them budged. For some might have been understandable but for the whole lot of them to react the same way was suspicious. Not even a moment later a single of them stood laughing aloud.
"Well, well if I didn't know better I'd say you're Batman. Shouldn't you be somewhere in town throwing hands with an A list? The Joker, Black Mask or maybe the Penguin!"
"Gloze." Batman exclaimed.
With a single wave of his hand he sent Batman soaring out the nearest window. Gloze followed smashing through another window. The Dark Knight rolled over on his side pushing off the dirt. It became clear the hostages were aware of Gloze's presence, which explained the groups' reaction. Some took the opportunity to escape seeing as the criminal's attention was elsewhere. Gloze was more than aware of it but chose to keep his attention on the caped crusader.
"To what do I owe the honor?"
Batman answered with throwing two batarangs. Gloze dodged the first, and caught the 2nd.
"I've heard about you and your toys. That's fine, in fact it'll make this little tango of ours all the more worth it."
Without warning the gadget exploded in his hand drawing blood.
"Damn, can't say I saw that one coming!" Gloze cursed.
The mage opened his mouth aiming in the direction of Batman knocking the Dark Knight over once again. Rolling over Batman avoided the next of his attacks. The small research he did conduct on the particular meta concluded Gloze had the ability to store electrical energy and control the air around him within a twenty foot radius.
Batman cruised over the top of the next wave of electricity closing the distance between he and the enemy. Gloze tried backing up and in that moment confirmed the enemy's abilities were best utilized from a distance. Looking to end things threw down a couple smoke pellets as a distraction. The tactic worked diverting Gloze's attention. With his opposite arm unleashed a grapple gun; the wiring taking hold of his ankle. In a single tug Gloze was off his feet and in the air. When pulled in toward Batman he was punched off to the side soaring face first into the train's side.
With Gloze positioned on his hands and knees Batman unlinked the wiring from around his ankle, and to no surprise he jumped punching at the Dark Knight as he got in close. Batman caught hold of his fist twisting his arm, kneeing him in the stomach and dropping him down with an elbow to the back. Watching as he struggled to get up Batman just observed. Once on his feet he punched and kicked at the Dark Knight, all attempts which were dodged. Batman countered with an open palm to the face, and a roundhouse kick dropping the criminal back down to the ground. Planting his fist into the ground, Gloze bled from his nose and mouth pushing up again.
"So you're formidable in hand to hand combat, well I guess I'll just have to awwwaahhh."
Batman kicked him in the face before he could finish, lifting him up by the throat and slamming him against the train.
"This fight is over, I was never after you. Your boss, where is he?!" Batman demanded.
"The hell you talkin about?" Gloze replied spitting blood at the ground.
Batman frowned tightening his grip around the mage's throat.
"If you're unwilling to cooperate I start breaking bones."
"Go ahead bat boy. Do your worst, I got nothing."
The Dark Knight lifted him higher but he was taken off guard as a club soared from out of nowhere and collided with the suspect's head. The criminal was knocked unconscious instantly and Batman dropped him to the ground with a glare in his eyes. He turned and faced the opposite way and before him stood a familiar face.
"His boss has been traveling under the alias Tesk Spund. I did some digging and turns out his real identity is Tom Weling, a businessman of the shadier variety and linked to the man of the hour."
"Mad Hatter." Batman said.
"Bingo. I trailed Tom's men for days all across Bludhaven until the wild goose chase led me here. Gotta give it to these guys, they put up quite the fight and were armed with top of the line weaponry."
"Return to Bludhaven Nightwing, I can handle things here."
"I have no doubts, but I think you could use my assistance on this. From what I've collected thus far there is a lot more to what they've been up to, and dozens more involved. We could be talking metas." Nightwing implied.
"It's nothing I can't handle."
"Stubborn as usual I see, but if you change your mind I'm just a phone call away. Oh on another note I received word the league has a new member...and she's hot. Can you confirm?" Nightwing asked.
Batman took a knee and cuffed the criminal. Afterward he pressed at a button over his belt and the batmobile arrived on scene and took off without a word. Nightwing chuckled scratching at the side of his head.
"Nice talking boss."
XXX
The queen felt refreshed following a shower and dropped down over one of the many sofas in the space. Her legs were spread apart as she gazed at the ceiling and was dressed in a white robe with blue trimming, cuffs and white bunny slippers. Her eyes fell over the automatic doors and spotted a familiar face step through. She immediately sat up and ran a hand along the fabric of the sofa.
"Good evening Zatanna, what're you doing here?" Elsa inquired.
The magician flipped through the pages of a magazine before dropping down and taking a seat beside Elsa.
"How'd your first day of training go?" Zatanna lowered the paper.
Elsa sighed before leaning back.
"I've got a long way to go..." The queen's voice trailed off.
"Don't get down on yourself," Zatanna positioned a hand over her shoulder, "You'll be part of the league sooner than you realize. It'll get easier once you get the flow of things."
"Gee thanks, Wonder Woman said something similar." Elsa replied.
Zatanna perceived the uneasiness in both the eyes of and posture of Elsa and exhaled.
"Are you having second thoughts?" Zatanna asked.
Elsa opened her mouth to speak but then repositioned and fiddled with her fingers. For several seconds she said nothing.
"Of course not, it's just..."
Another period of silence followed and Zatanna took the initiative moving in beside Elsa.
"I think what you need is a little break, before your training tomorrow we're gonna go out and do something fun. Something that'll help ease up your nerves, as is you won't be good use to yourself. You need to let loose and take it easy, you'll perform much better and with confidence if you do."
When Zatanna stood she lost hold of the paper which fell over the carpet. Both she and Elsa reached for it at the same time and snickered as their hands made contact. Elsa took it into her hands, and her eyes fell over a specific individual. She studied the face for various moments before looking to Zatanna.
"Who is this? I think I've seen him on the tel..."
"That's Bruce Wayne," The magician interrupted, "He's actually a childhood friend and quite charming."
Zatanna pulled the magazine from Elsa's fingertips as an idea came to mind.
"I know just the thing that'll take your mind off the stress. We'll have breakfast in the morning, but tomorrow night you and I are gonna attend a little event. Sound good?"
Elsa nodded.
"Sure, what kind of event?"
"Oh you'll just have to wait and see." Zatanna replied.
To Be Continue